A Ferrari you can get a tax credit on

[the Teuton]

http://jalopnik.com/5458588/ferrari-599-hybrid-porco-dio

It appears a hybrid Ferrari 599 will be going into production. The KERS thing is cool; the hybrid stigma isn't.

Thoughts?

[BimmerM3]

What is this KERS thing you speak of? I'm in class so I can't watch the videos.

[the Teuton]

What is this KERS thing you speak of? I'm in class so I can't watch the videos.

I didn't watch the video, but KERS is Kinetic Energy Regeneration System. It's what most F1 cars use these days -- more or less like any other hybrid, but usually used only for short bursts of acceleration.

[the Teuton]

It's better explained here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regenerative_brake

[Laconian]

Hybrid... stigma?

[the Teuton]

Hybrid... stigma?

Would you own a Prius?

[Laconian]

No, but my opinions don't reflect the rest of the public's. Lots of people buy Priuses and it's not just ecodouches. They are on track to become the next Camry. So I would argue that if a stigma exists, it is shared by a minority of the population. Ferrari buyers might be able to pull off a feat of cognitive dissonance and perceive this as another case of F1 technology trickle-down.

[Onslaught]

Would you own a Prius?

If you gave me one.

[Submariner]

Can we get a fucking Ferrari that's lightweight, relatively free of electronic goodies, and nice to look at?  I understand that their target market doesn't give a care about the riving experience, but is one purist model too much to ask for?

[CALL_911]

Can we get a fucking Ferrari that's lightweight, relatively free of electronic goodies, and nice to look at?  I understand that their target market doesn't give a care about the riving experience, but is one purist model too much to ask for?

The fact that their target market wouldn't demand such a thing is reason enough that it doesn't exist, unfortunately.

We get that me, you and the rest of this board would buy one. Except that we can't....

So what incentive do they have to make one? It's unfortunate.

[Minpin]

IT'S CALLED CAPITALISM, BRAH. DEAL WITH IT.

[CALL_911]

IT'S CALLED CAPITALISM, BRAH. DEAL WITH IT.

Right.

Man, for such a capitalist friendly board, we sure do whine a lot when companies don't make moves that we want, but won't net them any profit.

(That said, I do want a purist Ferrari BADLY.)

[J86]

I don't understand the wholesale hatred towards anything hybrid around here.  Many enthusiasts think it's cool, because it's a new technology.  Never seen the vitriol elsewhere that I see here.  Take my old man, for example.  Engineer by trade, built a monkey bike in his younger years, general gearhead.  He bought a Prius essentially for the novelty factor; it was a cool new technology that he could poke around and explore.  Some of his co workers, who race Miatas, did the same thing for the same reasons.  Here, however, we get "I CANT HANDLE ANY CHANGE WAAAAH."  Fascinating.

[Laconian]

Real enthusiasts lose their energy to heat entropy.

[Sigma Projects]

yea I don't get it either... and all the Purists... it just sounds more like "I want and old ferrari" which is coo, I like a lot of old cars, but ferrari trying things to be better in one way or another just sounds like ferrari, especially if they got the KERS thing going on. I just hope none of them catch on fire because of it

[giant_mtb]

If it's fast and shit, I guess that's okay.

[sportyaccordy]

Can we get a fucking Ferrari that's lightweight, relatively free of electronic goodies, and nice to look at?  I understand that their target market doesn't give a care about the riving experience, but is one purist model too much to ask for?

Yep, actually it is. Who's gonna buy it? People barely bought stickshift F430s.

The 458 isn't the prettiest Ferrari ever, but there's a strong case for it being the best, even with its tech.

That purist stuff might resonate with posters on message boards, but ultimately the actual market for these cars, ranging from long time enthusiasts to useless playboys to actual road racing teams prefer tech to no tech. So for cars on the level of something like an F430, there has to be a value in it that a wide range of people can appreciate.

Besides, there are always the old cars. You want purity, buy a Miata, or if you have money, an F355 (relatively speaking, they're not that expensive).

[Minpin]

Really. Who wants to blow 400k on a "purist" car that breaks down every 500 miles?

Defend your position here, Submariner. I'd love to see your argument.

[the Teuton]

Remember, too, that on the new market, unless you've given Luca di Montezemolo quite possibly the best sexual favor of his life, chances are you'll probably have about a $100,000 premium over MSRP to pay on the car, as well as a wait as long as a year to get one.

[Laconian]

commas!

All that makes it even more exclusive and appealing! Where do I sign?

[SVT_Power]

Hybrid... stigma?

Well you probably don't care about stigmas since you drive a miata. Oh wait. 

[MrH]

Can we get a fucking Ferrari that's lightweight, relatively free of electronic goodies, and nice to look at?  I understand that their target market doesn't give a care about the riving experience, but is one purist model too much to ask for?

The Italia 438 is just about 3,000 lbs dry.  I think it's good to look at.  It'll hand nearly everything out there its ass on the track.  Quit bitching.

[Raza]

The Italia 438 is just about 3,000 lbs dry.  I think it's good to look at.  It'll hand nearly everything out there its ass on the track.  Quit bitching.

You talk like an engineer.  

That's not a compliment.

[SVT666]

That's not a compliment.

It never is.

[MrH]

I didn't watch the video, but KERS is Kinetic Energy Regeneration System. It's what most F1 cars use these days -- more or less like any other hybrid, but usually used only for short bursts of acceleration.

Just to add in on KERS, a lot of them use a flywheel to store energy instead of a battery.  Pretty cool technology.